Related papers: Global field dynamics and cosmological tructure fo…
The observational evidence for the existence of a non-zero cosmological constant is getting stronger. It is therefore timely to address the question of its eventual effect on the dynamics of galaxies, clusters and larger structures in the…
The reason for the present accelerated expansion of the Universe stands as one of the most profound questions in the realm of science, with deep connections to both cosmology and fundamental physics. From a cosmological point of view,…
We study the generation and evolution of second-order energy-density perturbations arising from primordial gravitational waves. Such "tensor-induced scalar modes" approximately evolve as standard linear matter perturbations and may leave…
(To appear in Nuclear Physics B Supplements Proceedings section) This talk will explore the evolution of topological defects in an open universe. The rapid expansion of the universe in an open model slows defects and suppresses the…
We present a novel theory of the very early universe which addresses the traditional horizon and flatness problems of big bang cosmology and predicts a scale invariant spectrum of perturbations. Unlike inflation, this scenario requires no…
Doppler peaks in the cosmic microwave background may allow us to distinguish among the two classes of theories-inflationary models and topological defect scenarios-which attempt to explain the origin of structure formation in the universe.…
We study the impact of the expansion of the universe on a broad class of objects, including black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, and others. Using metrics that incorporate primordial inhomogeneities, the effects of a hypothetical…
The linear cosmological perturbation theory of an almost homogeneous and isotropic perfect fluid universe is reconsidered and formally simplified by introducing new covariant and gauge-invariant variables with physical interpretations on…
We study gravitational curvature effects in circular and radial geodesics in static, spherically symmetric space-times, using Fermi normal coordinates. We first set up these coordinates in the general case, and then use this to study…
Self-similar, spherically symmetric cosmological models with a perfect fluid and a scalar field with an exponential potential are investigated. New variables are defined which lead to a compact state space, and dynamical systems methods are…
We investigate the influence of cosmic magnetic fields on gravitational wave perturbations, and find exact solutions on large scales. We show that a large-scale magnetic field can generate large-scale non-decaying gravitational waves. In…
We consider the effect of a scalar field degree of freedom on the dynamics of gravity from small to large scales. We show that the effects of modified gravity can be completely captured by the time variations of the scalar field mass and…
The investigation of the inhomogeneities in modern inflationary Universe scenarios is related, in particular, with the study of the role played by scalar fields in cosmological evolution. We present the model described by one of the…
We consider a perfectly homogeneous and isotropic universe which undergoes a sudden phase transition. If the transition produces topological defects, which we assume, perturbations in the geometry and the cosmic fluid also suddenly appear.…
We construct a generalized dynamics for particles moving in a symmetric space-time, i.e. a space-time admitting one or more Killing vectors. The generalization implies that the effective mass of particles becomes dynamical. We apply this…
We study the cosmological implications of interactions between spacetime quanta in the Group Field Theory (GFT) approach to Quantum Gravity from a phenomenological perspective. Our work represents a first step towards understanding Early…
In this work we study the effects of field space curvature on scalar field perturbations around an arbitrary background field trajectory evolving in time. Non-trivial imprints of the 'heavy' directions on the low energy dynamics arise when…
The scenario of a cosmology with topological defects is surveyed starting from the field theoretic aspects and ending with a description of large-scale structure formation and magnetic field generation. (Lectures delivered at ICTP, Trieste,…
These lectures cover the basics of inflationary models for the early universe, concentrating particularly on the generation of density fluctuations from scalar-field dynamics. The subsequent gravitational dynamics of these fluctuations in…
In order to account for the observable Universe, any comprehensive theory or model of cosmology must draw from many disciplines of physics, including gauge theories of strong and weak interactions, the hydrodynamics and microphysics of…